The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
Putin’s Asia diplomacy may help Russia avoid isolation. But it won’t deliver his goals in Ukraine
English Summary
Russia’s increased diplomacy in Asia successfully mitigates Western efforts to isolate Moscow but fundamentally fails to achieve its core objective: a favorable political settlement regarding Ukraine. While non-Western partners, including ASEAN and China, maintain pragmatic economic ties with Russia out of self-interest, these relationships do not translate into strategic endorsement of Moscow's war aims or leadership role. This dependency on external support for resilience does not equate to diplomatic victory, confirming that the conflict will remain protracted and complex. Therefore, while Western isolation efforts have faltered, Russia lacks the necessary international consensus to dictate peace terms in Europe.
中文摘要
俄羅斯在亞洲加強外交活動，成功緩解了西方孤立莫斯科的努力，但根本未能實現其核心目標：就烏克蘭問題達成有利的政治解決方案。儘管包括東盟和中國在內的非西方夥伴出於自身利益與俄羅斯維持了務實的經濟關係，這些關係並不能轉化為對莫斯科戰爭目標或領導地位的戰略支持。這種對外部支援以求韌性的依賴，並不等同於外交勝利，證實衝突將持續曠日費時且複雜。因此，雖然西方的孤立努力有所動搖，但俄羅斯缺乏在歐洲制定和平條款所需的國際共識。
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